YIKES!

Baby face...

This is a site that I found while reading another favorite blog, Chatting at the Sky. You can link your favorite photo and see others for inspiration. This is the one that I'm sharing this week. It's one of my favorites...

Watch out HGTV!

7 years ago I bought these chairs (4 of them) for $25 each, to go with a used table that we had purchased. They weren't my favorite chairs but they worked. I recovered the seats and it made a big difference. Over the last few months, I have noticed that the white in the toile isn't looking quite so white anymore.

This is 3 kids worth of damage here...

I decided last week that I was going to shell out the cash for the fabric to finally recover them. One of my favorite fabric stores in town was having their bi-annual sale this week.

PERFECT TIMING!!!

I decided to get started during nap time today.

Apparently the last time I did this, I thought that I would want this toile FOREVER so I put 30 staples in each corner, not to mention the number that lined the sides. There were staples poppin' out everywhere! The perfect snack for a 2 year old! Watch your eyes kids!

Oh, and the underneath side reminded me of what the original background

color was suppose to look like...

(So that my in-laws won't panic...in reality, I carefully searched the floor for all of the staples and disposed of them properly so as not to cause a choking hazard. No grandchildren were harmed in this do-it-yourself project.) :)

This is the original seat cover. Now, I remember why I decided to cover that up!

This is the new seat cover. The perfect cover to hide all of the grime from a household full of sweet yet grubby little hands.!

Nothing like a couple of hours with a staple gun to make a girl feel better!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, not quite. But we did bust out our new Valentine's Day shirts today! Here's my attempt to catch a sweet pic of my little ones...

Really...would you please cooperate.

Enough with the granola bar and drumstick, already.

This one will have to do...


This is also my 3rd attempt at this pose. Oh, how I wish I could get it to work!

Happy "Pre-Valentine's Day" from Team Larsen!

Joy!

My new painting for the living room finally has a frame! I'm so excited!

Sweet loves...

Here are some random pictures of our sweet kids...

Caleb...total 2 year old! Be afraid!

John Patrick likes to stick his tongue out and lick things. STRANGE!! but sweet...

Luke doing "beadies" with his homegirls. Beware...they are saving them up for a "beadie" sale in the spring!

Kate LOVES her baby brother! This was her idea and she wanted me to take her pic with John Patrick is this pose. NICE!

Journey 2009

For the last few years, I have jokingly labeled the year. For example, 2006 was the year of taking risks, 2007 was the year of being a fun mom (hmm...not such a successful year), 2008...well, that was the year of surviving transition so it didn't officially have a label. lol! So, I've been contemplating what this year will hold. This is what I'm thinking...a peaceful home. Not in the sense of quiet, because that would be virtually impossible, but in the sense of being a place where my family can be. A place where we are free to be ourselves without judgement. A place that allows us to feel comfortable and at peace, both in attitude and in feel. This is something that has been on my heart for the last few years but I don't feel like I have made any real growth in this area. So this is going to be the year! Ironically, I have found a number of blogs over the last week that have addressed the same heart. I have enjoyed reading about creating A Soft Place to Land, or about beauty in imperfection from The Nester and Chatting at the Sky. I am on a mission to create a peaceful atmosphere. Part of that process is to remove the clutter

(the beginning of clearing the clutter)

and to SLOWLY create the home that I desire for my family. (I can't wait until garage sale season!)

I'm hoping that by this time next year I will have some things that I love to fill in some of the empty space in our new spacious home. : )

This is one of the first steps in creating a "home" in our new house. $25 worth of supplies. It warms my hyperfrugal heart!

Let the journey begin!